CAROLE RADZIWILL: You have the face of a movie star, but you seem to have the mind of a businessman.

ASHTON KUTCHER: I love producing TV and I love doing movies. I like to share my ideas with as many people as possible. And one medium can't really fulfill that desire.

CR: So how did you start Punk'd? Are you a big practical joker?

AK: No. But I believe that public humiliation is one of the greatest cleansings that any human being can go through.

CR: Who didn't you "punk" that you would've loved to?

AK: I really wanted to get President Bush. But it's kind of hard to get to him--he's got a couple layers of protection around him.

CR: Do you consider yourself a comedy actor?

AK: No, but I learned if you say the exact opposite of what people expect to hear, they'll laugh. I learned that from [the writers] of That '70s Show.

CR: Would you ever do nude scenes?

AK: Yeah, I just filmed a movie with nudity. At one point I was really naked.

CR: Were you self-conscious at all?

AK: I'm doing it in character. That's a societal misconception--nudity being embarrassing; something we need to be ashamed of.

CR: Tell me about your latest movie, What Happens in Vegas.

AK: The movie is about two people who need to let go of real life and just go for it. Then they pay the price later.

CR: What's the allure of Vegas?

AK: You get to be your most unguarded self there. People who'd never go to a strip club might go in Vegas. [The city] gives you permission to do things you'd never do.

CR: It's a make-believe town.

AK: The entire city is illogical. The fact that it's a city in the middle of the desert--that's illogical. But those moments when you're willing to step off and be illogical are when you have your most growth.

CR: What's the most illogical thing you've ever done?

AK: Marry my wife. Completely illogical.

CR: Because of the age difference?

AK: No. Because I had no intention of ever getting married. If I would have stopped and thought about it, I would have thought my way out of it.

CR: Did you elope?

AK: No, I just showed up.

CR: If I got married again, I would elope. Weddings are too much pressure.

AK: The biggest mistake people make in relationships is once they put a label on it, they stop working on it. They see [marriage] as an end, not a beginning. Marriage means you're in love, you have to look after your partner and you have to work as one. The power of two people united is much more powerful than one.

CR: When you met your wife, did you know right away that it was different, special?

AK: I was aware enough to know something felt right.

CR: So you followed your instincts.

AK: I run towards what is uncomfortable. That's when you find the most beautiful thing. And I have no regrets. I have things that--if they were put in front of me today--I'd do differently, but I don't regret them.

CR: Do you mind talking about your private life? I mean, people need privacy, don't they?

AK: Privacy's an illusion. Nothing's really private.

CR: Well, what about the saying "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas"?

AK: [Laughs.] It's an illusion. It's a movie! What happens in Vegas, the whole world is going to find out about.

*Carole Radziwill is the author of *What Remains, now available in paperback.